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Sunday, January 17, 2016

Michelle
Dim-St. Pierre brings us PINNACLE LUST, a story described by reviewers as “a
gritty, sensual, and honest journey of lust and love.” The story is set in Tel
Aviv during Operation Desert Storm—a setting the author says drives the romance
and the plot.

Michelle was born in Tel Aviv and worked as a nurse
for 32 years; lived through four wars; andserved in the Israel Defense Forces for two years.
She moved to the United States where she has lived for the second half of her
life. She is currently a full-time writer and is working on a sequel to
PINNACLE LUST.

Q: Would you
characterize PINNACLE LUST as a modern romance? Reviewers point out that it is “gritty”
and “realistic” and not a “happy-ever-after” story and a “soap opera with
sizzle.” Does that push its genre into a unique category?

Michelle
Dim-St. Pierre: Yes, PINNACLE LUSTis
a modern romance. The reviews of a “gritty” and “realistic” story without a “happily-ever-after”
are true. In real life, romance is not structured into a neat format and not
all romances have happy endings. Some romances are raw and beautiful and heart
wrenching all at once. This is what I tried to get across in my story. Its out
of the box format does indeed push its genre into a unique category.

Q: You’ve set
PINNACLE LUST in a Tel-Aviv hospital during Operation Desert Storm. Would the
story have been different if it had occurred in a peace-time hospital in New
York or a small town in Europe, for example. Did the setting support and help
tell your story?

Michelle
Dim-St. Pierre: Absolutey. The story’s setting is intrinsic to the way the
romance unfolds. Differences in culture certainly impact my story as well as
the war time setting. Circumstances affect our actions and decision making
process.My characters experience
a lot of chaos and uncertainty around them as the bombs start to fall. It is
only natural to seek comfort and companionship. When living in fear it is more
likely that people will seize what makes them feel secure.

Q: What
character traits did you give your protagonist to engage readers to want to
follow her? Why do readers care what happens to her?

Michelle
Dim-St. Pierre: Sharon Lapidot is a strong, independent woman who is very
successful in her career—readers like to engage with characters who are very
good at what they do. Though Sharon has an affair with a married doctor, like
many other young people in today’s world would. She also struggles with the
moral dilemma that goes with it. This very real struggle of right and wrong is
compounded by her professional struggles while working in the religious
environment of the setting. Her day to day battle to balance work, friendship, and
love in a hectic environment are realistic and easy to relate to.

Q: Does the
approach of villain vs hero apply to PINNACLE LUST? If so, what do you believe
makes an effective villain? Does a “villain” need to be a person? Or could “war”
be a villain?

Michelle Dim-St.
Pierre: I
don’t believe the villain has to be a person. War can definitely be the
villain. The antagonist in my story is the doctor’s wife and is the result of
the moral choices made by the character. But the war plays a part as well, to
drive those choices. The protagonist/antagonist relationship isn’t as clearly
defined as it is in some stories. It blurs the lines a bit.

Q: Reviewers
praise PINNACLE LUST for its suspense as well as its romance. How do you manage
to create suspenseful tension while telling a love story?

Michelle
Dim-St. Pierre: I don’t believe in fairy tales. There are no princes on
white horses waiting to rescue my protagonist. I believe in strong female
characters who take matters into their own hands and become their own heroes. I think a strong female character
invites adventure into a story and encourages young people to be proactive in
their lives, rather than waiting for something to happen to them. Every love
story comes with obstacles and suspense—life is a journey of its own. That was
the first thought that drove me to write the book.

Q: You were
born in Israel and have a nursing degree and experience. How much did your
actual life influence your writing?

Michelle
Dim-St. Pierre: All writers’ lives influence their writing. That’s where the
adage comes from, write what you know. Of course I’ve had my own experiences
with romance and I understand the feelings behind it. I also draw from the
experiences of people around me. The hospital setting seems real because I’ve
worked in that environment for so long. All works of fiction have elements of
truth in them. All works of fiction have parts of the writer in them.

Q: Did you
write PINNACLE LUST purely to entertain or did you also want to embed some
education or messages about war and/or Israel in your story?

Michelle
Dim-St. Pierre: Of course I wrote PINNACLE LUST to entertain but I also sought to
convey a few messages to the readers. First and foremost, it is important for
me to see young people being proactive in their lives, rather than waiting for
something to happen to them, just like the protagonist in the book. On the
educational side, I strived to illustrate the links—and gaps—between religious
and secular Jews and of course the powerful firsthand
look at what everyday life was like in Israel when most Americans were watching
Shock and Awe on the 24-hour news channels during Operation Desert Storm. I
wanted to show the reality of life in such a climate.

Q: What made
you decide to abandon your nursing career for that of an author?

Michelle
Dim-St. Pierre: Not sure abandon is the right word. Over time, nursing became second-nature. A
profession that I loved, and that fundamentally shaped my personality,
intellect and emotional development, had finally reached its peak. I knew it
was time for a new challenge.

I began to
give in to my desire to write.

What started as a hobby—a
deviation from my daily work schedule, an imaginative escape into a fantasy
world that I could shape and produce as I saw fit—has turned into so much more.
A few pages grew into a few chapters, a few chapters into more chapters and
before I knew it, I had an intricate story and an admirable heroine. I felt
like I’d found my second calling.

Michelle Dim-St. Pierre: I
am currently hard at work on the sequel to PINNACLE LUST and I intend to
release it in the fall of next year. I am also working on a unique recipe book.

Q: Tell us
about Michelle Dim-St. Pierre. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Michelle
Dim-St. Pierre: I’m not sure there is much time when I’m not writing, but I enjoy
engaging with my readers, traveling and cooking gourmet meals.

About Michelle
Dim-St. Pierre

Michelle Dim-St.
Pierre was born in Tel-Aviv, Israel, where she spent more than half of her life
before relocating to the United States.

She lived
through four wars and served in the Israel Defense Forces for two years. Unlike
her first year of service in an armored division in the Golan Heights, she
spent her second year serving in the medical corps where she interacted
directly with the injured soldiers of the Peace of Galilee war and their
families. This interaction, along with the exposure to the hospital atmosphere,
fascinated Michelle and further touched her heart.

After graduating
from nursing school with a BS in Nursing in Tel-Aviv, she practiced
internationally for 32 years in various positions in the surgical field and
quickly advanced into health care administration. During her career she worked
in the Operating Room, Recovery Room, and CCU – along with many other duties.

Writing was
Michelle’s outlet at first, but it soon became her passion. Recently she left
nursing and became a full-time writer. Her international background, along with
her military and nursing experience is always at the tip of her pen. Her first
novel, PINNACLE LUST, starts the Pinnacle trilogy.

Michelle is a
world traveler who enjoys cooking epicurean food and creating original recipes.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Romance-suspense author Cate Beauman has just
released FINDING LYLA, the tenth book in her best-selling Bodyguards of LA
County series. As to the suspense part of her newest mystery, reviewers say "Talk about nail biting!"Beauman creates her stories from crime documentaries or
articles. For FINDING LYLA she chose the career of her heroine as a Russian
ballerina to fit into her interest in the Russian/US conflict.

When she’s not writing,
Beauman spends time with her family and two St. Bernards at their home in
North Carolina. She is currently busy working on the eleventh Bodyguard novel, Deceiving
Bella.

Q: A key contributor
to your romantic suspense Bodyguards of LA County is the profession of your
heroine. How and why did you choose dancing for your heroine in FINDING LYLA?

Cate Beauman: Almost
all of my ideas for a story come from crime documentaries or interesting
articles I find in newspapers and magazines. Usually a topic catches my
interest and something just sort of clicks. While I was searching for a new plot
idea, I found myself interested in the ongoing Russia/US conflict. I thought
the best way to tie the story together would be to make Lyla a ballerina since
ballet is such a huge piece of Russia’s culture and an art treasured by so many
countries around the world.

As I started building on my initial plot and got to know who
I wanted Lyla to be, I knew making her a ballerina was a must. She’s all things
that I believe a ballerina to be: strong, dedicated, determined, yet she’s kind
and gentle. Collin is funny and easy-going, making this couple a perfect match.

Q: Do you start to
write your story with a mystery/plot and then create your hero and heroine to
fit the plot? Or do you begin with a heroine and build the mystery around her?

Cate Beauman: It
really depends. Each story is different. Because I write a series, it’s a given
that some characters are already destined to have a story told about them and I
must make the plot work around them, but when I’m starting fresh with a new
hero/heroine, the plot typically evolves first and I make the characters fit
the situations they will face in their journey among the pages.

Q: How do you select
the settings for your story? For FINDING LYLA, did you choose locations where a
dancer would perform? Did that influence the direction of the story?

Cate Beauman: For
FINDING LYLA, the plot evolved before Lyla’s profession came about. Creating
Lyla as a dancer certainly made sense. I had to do a lot of research to make
this story come together—far more than typical. Learning about a new culture is
always daunting, but I found myself fascinated.

Q: Each of your
Bodyguard novels includes the first name of your heroine. How do you select the
“verb” that accompanies the name? Is it a difficult process, or is it obvious,
given the plot?

Cate Beauman: Creating
the titles for the Bodyguards series keeps the novels cohesive. The verb must
have something to do with the plot. Now that I’ve completed ten books and have
moved on to tell the eleventh story in the series, it’s becoming a bit trickier
to find the right word, but I’m determined to keep finding the perfect verb
until the last bodyguard of Ethan Cooke Security has had their story told.

Q: What attracted you
to write in the suspense/romance genre? Why do you choose to write in this
genre?

Cate Beauman: I
truly can’t imagine writing anything other than romantic suspense. Love and
danger are such an adventurous mix, heightening both elements in each story.
Love is more powerful when there’s something to lose. Danger is more potent
when the hero/heroine’s wellbeing is at stake. Writing can be a tedious
process. It’s much easier to sit down with my laptop everyday when I get to
create action and sexual tension among the pages of my books.

About Cate Beauman

International bestselling author Cate
Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series,
The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National
Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden
Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five
Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers' Favorite
International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver
Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner
for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the
2014 Readers' Favorite Awards.

Cate makes her home in North Carolina
with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently
Cate is working on Deceiving Bella, the
eleventh novel in her popular Bodyguards
series.

Principal Dancer
Lyla Markovik-Avery is always on the go. Grueling practices and endless
performances rule her busy days—and things are about to get more hectic. Russia
is rolling out the red carpet for their beloved star, despite the string of
violent terrorist attacks that have rocked the nation.

Bodyguard Collin
Michaels’ life is falling apart. His long-time relationship recently ended.
He’s trying to start over, but that’s easier said than done. Luckily, Collin
has a new assignment on the horizon: keeping a beautiful ballerina safe for the
next three weeks.

Collin finds comfort
in Lyla’s easy friendship, but that all changes after a night out on the town.
Simple feelings become complicated—something Collin can’t afford, especially
when tragedy strikes and Collin realizes Lyla’s caught in the middle of a
dangerous plot for revenge.

Collin and Lyla are
forced to flee. They need to reach the border before it’s too late, but the
odds are stacked against them in a country that wants them dead. With time
running out, Collin formulates a risky plan that might be their only chance of
making it out alive.

Excerpt

Collin settled beneath the covers on his temporary bed as
the dim glow of city lights radiated through the windows. He reached out,
grabbing the remote off the coffee table he’d pushed off to the side, and
flipped through several channels, stopping on SportsCenter. Scores and updates
ticked by on the bottom of the screen, and he moved on, not all that interested
in hockey stats.

He stopped again when the live footage from Saint
Petersburg, Russia caught his attention. With the volume on mute, he searched
for the closed caption button and sat up, reading the news report while the
station switched back and forth between the newscaster and images of the police
surrounding a trolleybus in the middle of a downtown street. The reporter spoke
of a bomb discovered during the busy morning rush hour, mere miles from the
plaza where dozens had been killed on New Year’s Eve. Luckily a citizen had
been paying attention, and the explosive device had been deactivated, stopping
another disaster.

Early reports were suggesting that the same rebel group
responsible for the December thirty-first bombing, Chechen Freedom, had
attempted to strike again. The news segment switched to snippets of the video
released weeks ago, shortly after the slaughter of innocent civilians, where
the masked men promised more violence in retaliation for The Federation killing
one of their leaders. The man pointed at the camera, vowing to continue with
his plans to destroy Russia until the regime relented and gave the Chechens
back their country.

Sighing, Collin rubbed at his jaw. Why did he feel like he
was walking into a losing situation? Everyday there was something new going on
over there. If it wasn’t bomb threats and anti-American rallies, it was
anti-Putin demonstrations outside the Kremlin walls, which often ended with
tear gas and riot gear. And he and Lyla were only hours away from their
late-afternoon flight.

The issues in Saint Petersburg weren’t necessarily one of
his concerns. The city was a good nine hours away from their destination. It
was the possibility of terrorist attacks in Moscow and Russia’s discord with the
United States in general that had him on edge. The fact that Lyla was a dual
citizen of two countries at odds had the potential to work for her…or very much
against her. Only time would tell which way things were going to go, and they
would be along for the ride while they waited to figure it out.

The Unofficial FINDING LYLA
Soundtrack

“Music plays a HUGE
part in my writing process. I typically listen to Pandora or YouTube while I
create my stories and compile a collection of songs that I feel represent my
characters or the situations they face as each novel unfolds. It’s a rare
occasion that my creativity demands silence (And that’s a good thing. I’m a
mother of two boys. Quiet doesn’t exist in my house.). I thought it would be
fun to create a list of songs that ‘spoke’ to me while I wrote the Bodyguards of L.A. County series. You can listen
to the “soundtrack” for each book on my website www.catebeauman.com “

Monday, January 11, 2016

T.T.
Michael wrote FIRE WAR, a political thriller he’s been mulling over for a long
time, because of what’s been happening in the world today. He and his reviewers
believe it’s a credible futuristic story because it could happen, given today’s
terrorist attacks such as what occurred in Paris. He creates
suspense by actually choosing real world situations.

In the following interview, Mr. Michael (wink, wink) shares a
secret with us about his real identity.What’s most relevant is that he has written and published four detective
mysteries under a different name. He is currently working on FIRE WAR II:
Treason. When he’s not writing or working as a financial manager, he enjoys spending
time with his wife and four children going to movies and sporting events—in particular,
Chicago Whitesox and Dallas Cowboys games.

Q:
When I read your biography, I was interested to find that you have been a
financial manager at a car dealership for ten years. How or why did you come to
write a futuristic dystopian thriller, FIRE WAR?

T.T. Michael: I have
actually been a finance manager for 23 years but at my current place of
employment for the last 12.

This
is a story that I've had in my head for a very long time and with what's
happening in the world today I just felt it was time to put it on paper. The
book was published October 3rd and one of the stories had a terrorist attack in
Paris. One month before the actual attack happened. It's kind of an eerie
coincidence and when it happened I got a shiver up my spine.

Q: Reviewers
praise FIRE WAR as a “Powerful
and thought provoking futuristic thriller!” What makes it thought provoking?
Did you intend to deliver a message or did you write it strictly as a thriller?

T.T. Michael:What makes
FIRE WAR thought provoking is that this story could actually happen. A lot of
the story is based off what could happen if the world keeps going on the path
that it's currently on. In the news today you see Donald Trump talking about
shutting down the borders. Building a fence. One of my plot points is that we
do shut down the borders but to a bigger extreme. We actually join forces with
Canada and Mexico to make one Super Country. The U.C.S.A. or United Continental
States of America. We then shut down the border to that very large
country.

I can't honestly say I intended on delivering a
message per say but I can see the message that I put out there. When I started
this story I had a completely different plot in mind but it was like the story
took on a mind of its own. It grew into something bigger than I could've
imagined.

Q: What do you
believe are the key attributes of a thriller? How do you develop suspense?

T.T. Michael: The key
attributes of a thriller are actually narrowed down to one thing in my eyes.
That one thing is…Plausibility. If a reader can actually see what they're
reading as something that could happen to them they get intrigued and want to
see how the story comes out. I had one reader actually email me (I put my web
page at the end of the book) and tell me that he put himself into every
situation that my main character, Anthony Jackson, was put in. He told me how
he would've reacted in each of those situations.

I
develop suspense by using real world situations. Real world decisions would
have to be made and sometimes readers will agree with Jackson's decisions and
sometimes they'll scream "You idiot" to him. That's the real world
because Jackson is very real in my mind and he's going to make mistakes along
the way and there will be consequences. Those consequences can be right away or
later down the road. Just like in real life.

Q: Reviewers
discuss the plot and thriller part of FIRE WAR over and over. Would you say it
is more plot-driven than character-driven? Did you conceive of the plot first
and create your protagonist to fit into it?

T.T. Michael:I think FIRE WAR is both plot and
character-driven. You can see the world around Sgt. Jackson and you can feel
what he feels, see what he sees, and experience every part of his life as it
happens. But, at the same time you can experience what's happening outside of
his little world too. It's a very realistic book in that way. I conceived the
plot many years ago but didn't know how I wanted to play it out. As I said
earlier, the story you read today isn't the story I had in mind at all. It
really took on a life of its own after the very first few pages were written.
Originally I had more action/violence in mind but that story fizzled fast because
it just stopped feeling "real" to me and I wanted a "real"
story.

Q: How
important is the concept of villain versus hero to tell your story? Do you need
a villain to create a hero?

T.T. Michael:I don't want to give away too much of
the story here but I can say that there's more than one "Villain" in
FIRE WAR. You might even say there's more than one hero as well. Jackson is my
main character but many people in the story can be labeled as "Hero"
because of what they do.

Do
you need villains to have heroes? Yes I think you do; otherwise you wouldn't
need that hero.

Q: How do you
create credibility in your futuristic world? Do you believe credibility is
important to readers to enjoy FIRE WAR?

T.T. Michael:I created credibility in this story because
it could truly happen. Terrorists could attack the U.S. again and cause all
these dominoes to fall into place. This story was all too real to me in some
senses because I actually pictured these things happening and how the people of
the world would respond.

I
truly believe credibility is very important to readers of this genre,
especially.

Q: Did you base
your protagonist on a real person or is he entirely fictional?

T.T. Michael:Gunnery Sergeant Anthony Jackson is all
fiction but his thoughts and actions are based on how I would think and react
to the situations I put him in.

Q:How helpful is humor to develop your
characters or tell your story?

T.T. Michael: There are some
humorous situations for Jackson and they are very important to who he is. He's
human after all and even some bad situations that we are in can be humorous in
real life. Every part of our lives is important to our story. Sad times, happy
times, and even humorous times are a part of who we are as people and they are
an important part of our entire lives so they are important in my story as
well.

Q: What’s next?
Will you write a sequel? What else have you written? Did you always want to
become an author?

T.T. Michael:I am currently writing FIRE WAR II:
Treason. It continues the story from the first FIRE WAR and this is where you
will see Sgt. Jackson at his finest. Not that you didn't in the first one but
you'll see a whole different side that you may or may not have figured out in
FIRE WAR.

I've
written 4 other books. They're all murder mysteries.

I
can't say that I always wanted to be an author but I've always liked writing
fiction. I remember when I was in the eighth grade and my teacher gave me an
assignment to write a fictional story and it had to be 3 pages long minimum.
While kids in my class turned in 3 page projects mine was over 30 pages long
and I felt like I still wasn't done with it but it was due so I put an ending
on it and turned it in. Of course I got an A.

Q: Tell us
about T.T. Michael. What do you like to do when you’re not writing or working?

T.T. Michael:When I'm not writing or working there's
very little time in my life but I truly just enjoy my wife and 4 kids. We love
to go to movies and sporting events, i.e., Chicago Whitesox games and Dallas
Cowboys games.

There
is one thing about T.T. Michael that a lot people don't know and I am going to
share it with you right now. This is the first time outside friends and family
that this is told but here goes…T.T. Michael isn't my real name. It is in one
sense. Michael is my middle name. My real name is Todd M. Thiede. After careful
consideration I used a pseudonym for writing FIRE WAR because I polled some
readers of my murder mysteries and they said that it would confuse some people
that like my murder mysteries to pick up a book by me and not have it follow
that genre. Some even said they would be mad and give a bad review because it
wasn't what they would expect.

One
other thing I've done for the last few years that I've truly enjoyed is this…I
give a scholarship at my high school to one deserving kid. It's the Todd M.
Thiede creative writing scholarship and all the kid has to is write a story.
Any story whether it be a true one or fiction. I just want to hear the student’s
voice. In the last few years I've read some great stories and I even still
mentor one of the recipients while they continue writing in college and maybe
even beyond. I hope way beyond.

About T.T.
Michael

Perhaps
you wouldn't characterize the Finance Manager of your local automobile
dealership as an Amazon best-selling author--until you get to know T.T.
Michael. He has worked for the past decade at a Toyota Dealership in Illinois,
but he is in the driver's seat as the writer of, Fire War, a political thriller
set in the year 2076. See what happens when the United States, Canada, and
Mexico all join forces to make one super country. See more about him and his
book Fire War at www.ttmichael.com

About FIRE WAR

Late in the 21st century, the United Continental States of America (or UCSA), comprising
the former USA, Canada and Mexico, is running smoothly: unemployment has been
all but eradicated, terrorism is quashed in the country, and internal dissent
diminishes by the day. Most people thank President Meyers for this. Many can no
longer remember when there was last an election, but as long as he keeps the
country safe from the terrorist group Hariq Jihad (‘Fire War’), this seems a
small price to pay.

Gunnery
Sergeant Anthony Jackson is the model Marine: highly trained, absolutely
efficient, and unquestioningly dedicated to his country. The only thing he can
conceive of putting before his nation is his family, his wife Courtney and two
daughters Maya and MacKenzie. Conscripted into the personal security detail of
President Meyers, he begins to get glimpses that not everyone is as content
with the current situation as he is, but attributes this to terrorist agitation
and fringe lunacy. When his older daughter Maya begins to question the creeping
erosion of personal liberties and the revoking of democratic rights, however,
he begins to fear for her safety, as well as his own and that of his family. In
a climate in which entire families disappear due to minor offenses, one can’t
be too careful.

The tensions
between liberty and safety, between family and country, will force Jackson to
rethink all his beliefs, and lead to a collision with the system he has
dedicated his life to serving.

FIRE WAR is a
suspenseful, gripping and unnerving examination of the paradoxes of power, the
price of liberty, and the dictates of conscience. The world you live in will
never look the same again.